Space Trucker
Space Trucker: a stock character in space westerns, who hauls freight between solar systems in a merchant spaceship, usually a boxy, Used Future one resembling a 16-wheeler Mack truck. They are usually depicted as friendly (except for bar brawls in bars) and speaking in a Southern accent. In a galactic empire or Standard Sci-Fi Setting, most civilian astronauts and spaceships are these. Like Han Solo's Millennium Falcon in Star Wars and Marvel Superhero Razorback's spacecraft, their Cool Starships go Faster Than Light (FTL) and are armed with force field, rayguns, etc., for self-defense against Space Pirates, Evil Empire Standard Sci-Fi Spacefleets, etc. Bmup2p17.jpg|Space pirates attack the SS Mokk. Their destinations vary from space habitats to asteroids, planets serving as homeworlds or inhabited by colonization of other worlds. Cargo varies from other spaceships, space habitats, ores from mining colonies, products manufactured on space habitats' or planetary farms and factory systems. Some truckers are smugglers but do not usually carry drugs, sex workers, enslaved people, undocumented immigrants, stolen goods or assault weapons. Examples: * Star Wars' Han Solo, Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon * Spaceballs (a Star Wars parody) has Lone Star (a Han Solo parody) flying a Winnebago through outer space. * Firefly, Futurama,...(TV Tropes Wiki, 2006-18; Nicholls, 1979; Weill, 1981; Downey, 1975; DiCanio, 1983) In Brother Muscle: * The Captain, Chief Engineer, medical and Bridge Crew of the SS Mokk transport passengers-refugees and space colonists- from Chaadi to Nyca. They do not wear uniforms, so they are clearly civilians. They pick up Gorta, pregnant with Taashi, and her husband Zamm on Chaadi. Due to Space Pirate battle damage to navigation and communications, the Captain lets the passengers vote whether to go to Nyca blind or Earth, on Captain's Clairvoyance. They choose Earth, where Gorta and Zamm become US citizens and raise their daughter Taashi to an Ordinary High School Student--and Ultraperson . Unlike the above description, the SS Mokk is a flying saucer, based on UFO descriptions and theories. * In Renown & Fascinator, the reimagined series, the Captain and crew of the SS Mokk have names, are space academy alumni and revolutionary war heroes. The Mokk here is a cigar-shaped UFO, Mothership and their former Space Battleship. Chaadi, their home planet, is a failed state after multiple revolutions and civil wars between various mercenary super soldier armed forces. Nyca, their destination, is a utopia and former revolutionary ally, accepting their Chaadian passengers as immigrants. The Captain chose to go to Earth instead, because enemy mercenary starships blocked their path to it and the ship was still under repair after its battle with the now-named Space Pirates. The war-weary passengers, including the Horrn'r family (Ultraperson's parents) voted to stay on Earth, however imperfect, rather than risk further combat on another space voyage to Nyca (Lathan, 2013; 2019). Bmup2p19.jpg|The Captain lets the passengers vote for Nyca or Earth colonization Acknowledgements: * DiCanio, Margaret, Encyclopedia of Violence (1983) * Downey, Douglas W. M.S. ed, et al, New Standard Encyclopedia, Vol. I (1975) * Lathan, D.V., Brother Muscle & Ultraperson #1-2 (1993; rev. 1999; publ. 2013; 2019) * Nicholls, Peter, Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1979) * TV Tropes Wiki (2006-18) * Weill, Robert, ed., The Omni Future Almanac (1982) Category:Characters Category:Scenery Category:Paranormal